Quotes of the day

posted at 10:30 pm on June 13, 2012 by Allahpundit

Senator John Cornyn of Texas tells National Review Online that the Obama administration’s refusal to appoint an independent prosecutor to investigate a series of intelligence leaks to the New York Times is a “cover up.”

“It’s all politics, all the time, at the Department of Justice,” Cornyn says. “Now that they’re in cover-up mode, they’re hiring Obama-campaign volunteers to look into the leaks.”…

On Tuesday, a few hours after calling on Holder to resign, Cornyn, along with Senator John McCain of Arizona, attempted to introduce legislation that calls for an outside counsel to investigate the leaks. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, promptly blocked the resolution.

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And, here’s the big story:

“Machen, who lives in Silver Spring, is expected to move to the District while he holds down the job.

“Over the years, he has donated $4,350 to Obama’s campaigns. He gave $250 to Obama’s U.S. Senate campaign in 2003, a year before Obama, then an Illinois state senator, emerged on the nation’s political radar, according to campaign finance records.”

So Holder appointed a man who has his current job because Obama appointed him to it and has over the years given thousands to Obama’s campaigns. And we’re supposed to take this investigation seriously?

As I pointed out in the same column, all administrations do this sort of thing. After al Qaeda’s 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, for example, President Clinton came under blistering criticism for authorizing a retaliatory strike against what was reported to be a mere pharmaceutical factory in Sudan. Richard Clarke, Clinton’s top counterterrorism aide, was duly dispatched to inform the press that the U.S. intelligence community was certain the factory was being used by Saddam Hussein’s regime, al Qaeda and the Sudanese Islamist government for a joint venture in nerve gas production.

Like Libby’s disclosure, Clarke’s was in the national interest because it corrected damaging misinformation that could have discredited appropriate actions taken in American national defense. By contrast, the Obama leaks are fueling what are basically campaign ads. But, again, from a prosecution standpoint, that is irrelevant. The president gets to disclose classified information for any reason, or no reason.

That is why the leak controversy, first and foremost, is about holding President Obama politically accountable. It is silly to focus on legal accountability. That is not only a matter of considerably less importance; it is one as to which there is virtually zero realistic hope for satisfaction.

So far, Romney has been silent on this and too many other issues. If he chooses to remain silent on the Obama leaks, he will surrender the issue leaving Obama to continue the leaking and gain whatever political advantage within reach. Instead, Romney could and should seize upon the issue. Romney should speak out quickly, joining in the bipartisan call for an investigation and asking the intelligence committees to hold the closed hearings to obtain the assessments of damage.

When — and if — the committees hold those hearings, Romney should use whatever they may disclose to make a major speech on the issue, calling the Obama administration to account for its actions against our nation’s security. It’s all up to Romney: he can be the leader of the Republican Party or sit silent, absorbing the damage to his campaign and ignoring the damage to our national security.

***

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Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Peter King (R-NY), sat down with Jamie Colby today on America’s News HQ to discuss the investigation into the leaks on counter-terrorism programs. Congressman King said, “This is the most shameful cascade of leaks I’ve ever heard or seen in government. We’re not talking about an incidental leak coming out … We’re talking about leaks involving two of the most sensitive programs in the United States government.”

He said it’s “clear” from those stories published in The New York Times that the information “came from the White House, came right from the National Security Council, came right from the Situation Room.” Rep. King continued, “For the president to say he’s outraged by this … how come he said nothing about it until a few of us, including John McCain, stood up and took him to task for it.”

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On Tuesday, a few hours after calling on Holder to resign, Cornyn, along with Senator John McCain of Arizona, attempted to introduce legislation that calls for an outside counsel to investigate the leaks. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, promptly blocked the resolution.

PBHO, peace be upon him, demonstrates his hatred of the US military, America, and the free world’s safety most keenly when he takes one of our key force-multipliers, intelligence, and blabs it to everyone. He does this solely to benefit his quest for more taxpayer financed vacations and Kobe Beef.

On Tuesday, a few hours after calling on Holder to resign, Cornyn, along with Senator John McCain of Arizona, attempted to introduce legislation that calls for an outside counsel to investigate the leaks. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, promptly blocked the resolution

…that Harry is so quick!…especially with a budget for the last three years!

As I pointed out in the same column, all administrations do this sort of thing. After al Qaeda’s 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, for example, President Clinton came under blistering criticism for authorizing a retaliatory strike against what was reported to be a mere pharmaceutical factory in Sudan.

Revisionist history, here. Clinton came under attack for doing this to divert attention from his grand jury testimony – the cr@p with the “what the definition of ‘is’ is” idiocy.

It was clear that throwing a few tomahawks in Afghanistan and bombing one factory in Khartoum were not retaliation of any serious degree for the massive embassy bombings. Those “attacks” by Clinton were just to make people forget about his Grand Jury testimony. This is clear because Clinton never retaliated for any of the other attacks Al Quaeda perpetrated against us before that.

This won’t save him. He was around for all the profligate spending and government expansion of the Bush 43 years, and did nothing about it. Plus he opposed alot of Tea Party candidates in 2010 primaries.

“We’re talking about leaks involving two of the most sensitive programs in the United States government.”

No sh%t…

“Last year, as news was released from the White House regarding the successful operation in the killing of Osama Bin laden in Pakistan, you could hear a collective gasp from the intelligence community as major details of the operation were released to the public. Those details included identifying SEAL Team 6 as the military team performing the successful operation.

Military intelligence experts were horrified to hear even the mention of this highly trained team being involved in this operation and feared for reprisals against team members and their families. Just 3 months later, a helicopter loaded with SEAL Team 6 personnel, many the same ones involved in the Osama Bin Laden operation, was shot down in Afghanistan. 31 members of the team perished when that helicopter was hit with a Taliban missile. Coincidence?”

It is up to Mitt Romney, as the leader of the Republican Party, to choose to make the Obama leaks a campaign issue

…oh yes…just like he led the fight during the stimulus and health car fight… the first two years that President Pivot, the penis press and the rapist rascals of the House and Senate had their way with the taxpayer!…oh..oh wait!…that was Sarah Palin kicking all those boys in their ba11s at that time while crickets chirped…never…never mind!

0’s recklessness has not been limited to National Security. He has in general been quite reckless. The best we can do is see him off ASAP. 0 is a disaster. Everything he is involved with has had issues. In many instances out right failure. Of course he did personally see to Bin Ladens killing, so there’s that.

Congress needs to focus on the culture of recklessness Obama has fostered regarding the nation’s defense secrets — beginning with the transparently political disclosure of classified memoranda about the CIA’s enhanced interrogation program and continuing up to these latest nakedly political, campaign-driven leaks.

It’s not “recklessness”. It’s treason and Barky’s been doing it since he first slimed into office. You can start with his unilateral decision to scrap missile defense in Europe – just to screw over two New European allies of America through Bush – and move on from there. It’s been constant.

To compare Barky’s clear and specific treason with Bill Clinton’s pathetic Khartoum attempt to divert attention from his investigation by the special prosecutor (and no one cared if the factory in Khartoum was just making toys, if it had INDEED been in some sort of retaliation for the embassy bombings, but it wasn’t) is to compare apples and oranges.

Every so often Andrew McCarthy (who is usually very good) screws up, as with his defense of that miserable rat, Fitzgerald.

I disagree a bit here. Rmoney™ will be fine if he talks about it and uses it in campaign materials against 0. He does not however need to get into the mire which it will likely become. Surrogates will do a fine job of hammering 0 on this issue. Rmoney™ might want to take the high road on this.

Ma used to make an awesome peach cobbler from our peach tree fifty years ago. Gramps churned the ice cream…

OmahaConservative on June 13, 2012 at 11:03 PM

Nothing better, fresh churned. HeIIfire we are gonna get along real good. ; ) Yum! Get working on that little get together OC. War Planner sounded pretty jazzed. One question though, do we at the get together, continue our relationships via our moniker nic names? Will I still be able to be just plain ole Bmore?

I know not a US tradtion. But it’s a third world tradition *cough*, *cough*, Egypt. Well, Obama wants the US to be like a third world nation. I’d be willing to have mass trials for Obama, his corrupt cabinet officers, and the political appointees in the DOJ. Fitting justice to one who wants to “fundamentally transform” America. And a good lesson to future politicians.

He can only be prosecuted out of office. He can only be impeached from in office and that doesn’t extend to criminal liability. Any criminal actions he takes require impeachment and then, after he’s tossed out, prosecution.

For this nation to fix itself, Barky must be donning an orange jumpsuit.